Planning permission for a proposed block of 15 flats in Kirkwall’s Great Western Road is to be decided next week.
During next Wednesday’s meeting of the council’s planning committee, councillors will view an application from Orkney Builders.
The firm proposed three-storey building would be located at the junction with Burnmouth Road, on the site which was once home to The Scarth Centre DIY shop.
The site currently sits empty, with only the boundary walls of the old building remaining.
The council’s planning department has said the application is acceptable.
Nightclub noise slowing plans
However, there has been an objection from Environmental Health on the ground of noise.
This is because the new building would be across the road from Fusion nightclub.
Council planners have noted that the nightclub hasn’t operated since before the pandemic.
However, Fusion still has lawful planning use as a nightclub which means the possibility of noise coming from the building have to be taken into account when it comes to the proposed block of flats.
In a response to the developers, environmental health has suggested mitigating measures such as having windows that don’t open on the north and east sides of the building.
However, this is not featured in the application going to the planning committee next Wednesday.
Application called to committee attention
As such, the planning application has been called to the attention of the committee by two councillors.
The proposed building wouldn’t fit exactly onto the footprint of the previous building. Instead, it would run around three metres longer along Great Western Road.
The building being proposed by Orkney Builders Ltd would also come with car parking and trees along the street.
With a light render and slate roof, the proposed building would take look similar to the Ayre Hotel’s nearby annex.
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